Compounds based on the ergoline ring system (I): ##STR1## have a surprising variety of pharmaceutical activities. For example, lysergic and isolysergic acid are D-8-carboxy-6-methyl-.DELTA..sup.9 -ergolines (9,10-didehydroergolines or 9-ergolenes.) The amides of lysergic acid have valuable and unique pharmacologic properties, and include the naturally-occurring peptide alkaloids; ergocornine, ergokryptine, ergonovine, ergocristine, ergosine, ergotamine, etc., synthetic oxytocic alkaloids such as methergine, and the synthetic hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD. Ergotamine, a 9-ergolene, with a "peptide" side chain, has been used in the treatment of migraine and recently, both ergocornine and 2-bromo-.alpha.-ergokryptine have been shown to be inhibitors of prolactin and of dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA)-induced tumors in rats, according to Nagasawa and Meites, Proc. Soc. Exp'tl. Bio. Med. 135, 469 (1970) and to Heuson et al., Europ. J. Cancer, 353 (1970). (See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,752,888 and 3,752,814).
Non-peptide ergot derivatives, both naturally occurring and totally or partially synthetic, share these multiple pharmacological properties with the peptide derivatives. For example, D-6-methyl-8-cyanomethylergoline, was prepared by Semonsky and co-workers, Coll, Czech. Chem. Commun., 33, 577 (1968), and was found to be useful in preventing pregnancy in rats -- Nature, 221, 666 (1969), (See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,231) -- by interfering with the secretion of hypophysial leuteotropic hormone and the hypophysial gonadotropins or by inhibiting the secretion of prolactin. [See Seda et al., Reprod. Fert., 24, 263 (1971) and Mantle and Finn, id. 441)]. Semonsky and co-workers, Coll, Czech, Chem. Comm., 36, 220 (1971), have also prepared D-6-methyl-8-ergolinylacetamide, a compound which is stated to have anti-fertility and anti-lactating effects in rats. The 2-halo derivatives of D-6-methyl-8-cyanomethylergoline and of D-6-methyl-8-ergolinylacetamide have been prepared and tested for their prolactin inhibiting activity (M. J. Sweeney, J. A. Celmens, E. C. Kornfeld and G. A. Poore, 64th Annual Meeting Amer. Assoc. Cancer Research, April, 1973).
A number of the non-peptide indole alkaloids have been found in fungus cultures grown on Elymus nollis and other related grasses. These non-peptide alkaloids include chanoclavine, agroclavine, elymoclavine, and penniclavine. Of particular interest are agroclavine, an 8-methyl-8-ergolene; elymoclavine, an 8-hydroxymethyl-8-ergolene; and penniclavine, a 8-hydroxymethyl-8-hydroxy-9-ergolene. These non-peptide alkaloids have been shown to have potent rat prolactin inhibiting activity comparable to that found with the peptide alkaloid, ergocornine. The synthesis of penniclavine from D-6-methyl-8-hydroxymethyl-10.alpha.-methoxyergolene has been disclosed by Bernardi and Temperilli at the 9th Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry held at Ottawa, Province of Ontario, Canada, June 24-28, 1974.
It is an object of this invention to provide a synthesis of elymoclavine from optically active starting materials. Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the specification which follows.